About This Book

This textbook was adapted from the first edition of Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, which was developed by Chippewa Valley Technical College specifically for prelicensure nursing students. It is an open educational resource with Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 International licensing. The ebook and downloadable versions are free to use, share, print, copy, and download.

Content was originally created for the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Nursing Mental Health and Community Concepts course (543-110), the NCLEX-RN Test Plan,^[1] and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Education Council’s Crosswalk Toolkit: Defining and Using Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Skills in Undergraduate Nursing Education.^[2]

The original Open RN project was supported by a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Education. However, this content does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

This 2025 version was edited and adapted by Dr. Terri J. Farmer at the University of Arizona College of Nursing for classroom use in Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Mental health is discussed while emphasizing stress management techniques, healthy coping strategies, referrals to community resources, and other preventative interventions. Nursing care for individuals with specific mental health and substance use disorders is examined, and the nurse’s role in caring for vulnerable populations is introduced.

Licensing/Terms of Use

This textbook is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) license unless otherwise indicated, which means that you are free to:

• SHARE – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• ADAPT – remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

• Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if any changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• No Additional Restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
• Notice: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
• No Warranties Are Given: The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

How to Attribute This Book

Mental Health Concepts for Nursing by Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) and Terri J. Farmer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 International license.

How to Cite This Book

APA Manual of Style, 7th edition:
Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN) & Terri J. Farmer. (2025). Mental health concepts for nursing. Chippewa Valley Technical College and University of Arizona.

Using This Book

The following YouTube video provides a quick overview of how to navigate the online version of the original textbook.